FC7 - ATI - Widescreen Resolution Issues
 

Hi there,

I am trying to get a friends Linux box up and running with all the "bells and whistles" that Linux has to offer... I know there are a lot of notes and guides out there but I haven't found a good one regarding the particular issue - WIDESCREEN on FC7 64 bit doesn't work (at least not at the resolution we want). So here is the downlow:

I have ran the updates for FC7 64 bit and installed the Livna RPMS. I then installed the Ati drivers via Livna, they work great as Beryl is up and running..... now the monitor we are testing is a Samsung SyncMaster 206BW. The monitor we are testing on isn't the same as the one he will be using which is a Samnsung SyncMaster 226BW - not a big difference..... when I go to Display the monitor isn't listed in under Samsung (not a big deal as I can select a generic right?). When I do change the resolution and reboot the system it boots normally and then the screen goes black where the user name and login screen should be... now sometimes I can kill X windows by pressing ctrl + alt + f1 other times it freezes.

If anyone can offer advice as to why I can't get the widescreen settings that would be great. If this post is a little messy its because I am at work and being distracted by a bunch of monkeys and by monkeys I mean the guys I work with.

Thanks GUYS/GURLS

Hi Brendan,

I remember having a similar issue with a computer and wide screen on Fedora 7. It didn't recognize the 1440x900 resolution that I was trying to configure and I don't believe the monitor was listed in the setup. As far as I understand, the X Window System doesn't use drivers to interact with the monitor, you just have to tell X what the range of valid horizontal and vertical frequency range. You may want to check Samsung's website to see if the specs for that particular model can give you a hint, then edit the xorg.conf file in /etc/X11/. You'll also have to edit the xorg.conf file so that it has the resolution you're trying to get at.

On a different note, does X not respond when you press <CTRL> <ALT> <Backspace>?

Thanks,
moniker117

Ok I will check those specs. I will also try to get the output file for xorg.conf to show the current settings. It seems as though the ati livna drivers might be over-riding some stuff. (need to get his ip/domain so I can SSH in)

X does respond sometimes, but I think it freezes the PC when X doesn't start properly and if you don't catch it at the right time you can't kill X windows - which is what I want to do so I can get into the xorg.conf file.